Heart
by Graymalkyn
Summary: The choice of the Princess, the start of the journey, and Elliot's recollection of his father's words. One-shot story. All hail Lionhead Studios and Microsoft, who own everything ;)


**Heart**

"Love is a wicked thing, Elliot," his father had told him once while puffing on his pipe and drinking his brandy in front of the fire. "It makes your heart weak and fills it with holes. And that's always a dangerous thing, my lad. Holey hearts always long for something; they're never satisfied. And who knows what thing can lurk into those holes, filling up the gaps and eventually taking over the rest."

**~.~**

Elliot thought his father must have been wrong. Being with Grace was a wondrous sensation. She was funny, kind, and beautiful. The beauty trait ran in the family –her brother, King Logan, was said to be the most attractive man in Albion, and the portraits of the old Hero Queen were certainly breathtaking– but the rest was her own. He'd never understood why she loved him. Not that he needed to. All that mattered was that the feeling was mutual.

Her faithful dog took him out of his reverie. There she was, amused by the sight of her lover and her dog playing.

"The Kingdom is certainly safe with you two," she said solemnly.

"Fair princess," he played along, "your two brave knights will protect you with their lives!"

She chuckled. "I can look after myself, you know?"

"Oh really?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'll need some proof of that, milady."

She covered the few steps that were between them and he held her hand. Her kiss was soft and gentle, like her heart, beating against his chest, full and content.

**~.~.~**

Elliot looked at her, his eyes full of sorrow. _How little it takes to change something,_ he thought.

**~.~.~.~**

"You will shoot to kill," King Logan commanded his soldiers. "Start with the ringleaders, and if necessary, continue with the crowd.

"No! You can't do this!" Sir Walter panicked, before being struck by a soldier.

"Never tell me what I _can't_ do," Logan muttered.

**~.~.~.~.~**

_Just one hour ago, we were holding hands, our hearts full and content, and now_… He bowed his head, waiting…

**~.~.~.~.~.~**

"What are you doing here?" King Logan sneered. "The War Room is no place for a child – leave now!"

"I'm here to stop you!" the princess hissed. "You can't kill those people!"

Logan muttered under his breath, "How dare you turn against me?" He took a good look of her: a little girl who could barely stand on her own two feet, a lamb to the slaughter. "Oh, I see… Perhaps you believe _you _should be the one making these decisions?" He smiled mysteriously. "You really wish to defend those traitors? Then so be it!" He raised his hand and signaled to his soldiers, who seized the princess and Elliot. "Let us see how you do: take my sister and her _friend_ to the Throne Room."

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_Please, Grace – _please,_ don't make the wrong decision,_ Elliot's heart seemed to say, with every heartbeat.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

The soldiers roughed him up.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted, shielding him with her body.

"I'm all right; I'm all right…" he reassured her. She took his hand and helped him up.

"Don't worry," her soft voice said. "Whatever happens, we'll go through this together." Her warm brown eyes froze when she heard her brother's icy, slithery voice.

"Here come the saviours of the people. Come closer, _sister_." He spat the last word with a hatred that made Elliot's skin crawl. Princess Grace walked towards the King, looking back at her lover with fear. Their hands were slowly separating, their fingers losing touch.

Logan got on his feet and walked over to where his sister was standing. He smacked her with the back of his hand, making her fall with a gasp.

"Today you've disappointed me beyond measure." He stood in front of her, glaring. "I have been betrayed by my own blood… and a filthy spy-"

"We did nothing wrong!" Elliot screamed.

"Punishment must be apportioned where it belongs," Logan sentenced.

"Punish _me_, then!" Grace challenged him.

He looked down on her. "You are no longer a child, and it is time I stopped treating you as one," he muttered. "Very well…" He beckoned to the soldiers that were standing nearby, and they brought a group of people with them. Their faces were dirty and pale; the women held their hands together and bowed their heads in fear, and the men had lost all hope. "Here stand the leaders of the violent mob that had gathered outside the castle. I will give you a choice – who will be punished: these strangers," he said, the fine line of his mouth turning into a grin, "or this boy? The sentence will be death." He looked at Elliot in the eye, savouring the moment.

"No… This can't be!" Elliot's desperate look fell on her. She looked at her brother in horror.

"What's the matter?" Logan snarled. "You are the princess – _decide!" _He stroked his sister's cheek as the first tear came rolling down. "I am giving you power over life and death."

"No!" she screamed. "I won't do this!"

He raised an eyebrow. "If you can't choose, I will. They will all be executed. So tell me," he whispered in her ear, "what are you willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?"

"This is madness," Elliot pleaded. "We can't, we just can't-!" He looked at her. Something in her face made him hesitate. "Choose me," he said softly. "You can't let them all die…" He cupped her face in his hands. "_Choose me…_"

She shook her head violently, stepped back, and turned towards the people. She stood in front of them. She hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry…" she cried.

"No! No, it should be me!" Elliot shouted. "Don't do this – it should be _me_!"

Logan snorted. "The boy lives. Kill the rest now." The soldiers took the desperate people out of the room. Elliot watched helplessly, as he saw a shadow crawling into the light that shone around his beloved. "No…" he whispered.

Grace turned on her heels and hissed, "I will _never_ forgive you for this, brother!" Her face was contorted with rage.

"Good," Logan smirked. "Then you will never forget it."

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_What have you done, Grace,_ Elliot's heart cried. _What have we done? _

He had seen a tiny hole in his lover's heart, and the shadow that had crawled into it, filling it up, making room for more.

…


End file.
